Revisited: Triumph’s Street Twin
Retro looks with modern safety tech can now be yours for £5500
What we said then…
Whether you’re new to bikes or have been around since the original Bonnie, the Street Twin is easy to ride, fun, involving and all-day comfy. Every twist of the throttle pummels you with nostalgia and those twin upswept exhausts make all the right Cool Britannia noises. The Street Twin has its classic looks, but stops, goes and handles as well as any modernday roadster and you can use the Triumph for just about anything from Sunday blasts to trips to the coffee shop. Stick on a fly screen, panniers and tank bag and you could even go touring. And tucked away out of view, bringing the Bonnie into the modern age, are traction control, ABS, ride-by-wire, a digital dash and a USB port. The Street Twin is fitted with Triumph’s new liquidcooled, 900cc ‘high torque’ 270° parallel-twin. Triumph claim 54bhp, which is more than enough for mischief on a naked retro. The new engine has a broad spread of easy-to-manage power and a wonderfully smooth throttle pick-up. There isn’t much oomph for the first few degrees of throttle twist, which can catch you out at low speed, but you soon get used to it. Acceleration is swift and it’ll easily top the ton, but the smooth power won’t be intimidating for newer riders. The slip-assist clutch is commuter bike-light and the five-speed gearbox is slick. With its new chassis and non-adjustable Kayaba fork and preload-adjustable twin Kayaba shock set-up (with 20% more rear wheel travel), the Street Twin is agile around town and offers a plush ride. But the 18in front wheel takes a few miles to get familiar with, especially if you’re used to 17-inchers. The front-end needs more muscle to get into a corner, but once you’re in and powering through, you’re laughing. MCN, December 16, 2015
What’s it like now?
Triumph’s entry-level machine was tempting value when new and now it’s even better. We’re talking just £5500 for a twoyear-old example with 6000 miles on the clock, which is great value for a good-looking retro roadster loaded with the latest safety-boosting electronics.
Despite its ‘budget’ price tag, used examples are holding up well in terms of fit and finish, and there are a fair few on the market with mileages in excess of 20,000, which implies that reliability isn’t an issue either. Just check that any machine you’re looking at has had the main wiring harness and the clutch cable re-routed around the headstock by a dealer as per the 2017 recall. The updated 2019 model, distinguishable by its Brembo front caliper, has 10bhp more peak power as well as more midrange. Sub 1000mile examples can be picked up for £7000 – that’s a saving of £1100 on new.
Worthwhile extras…
The Street Twin was designed as a blank canvas so that owners could add a whole multitude of accessories to personalise their bike and make it their own. As well as practical extras, such as the genuine Triumph heated grips, centrestand and small flyscreen, plenty of used examples also feature aftermarket exhausts, suspension upgrades and even one-off paintjobs or unique tank decals.
‘More than enough bhp for mischief’